The invention relates, generally, to Internet based media, and more particularly to novel methods and apparatus for providing sound files to voice gateways for coupling to voice based telephony channels.
Audio signals are available through the Internet typically in the form of streaming broadcast of radio, recorded music, etc. These audio signals are typically downloaded from an Internet signal source via the user's Internet service provider through a modem to a computer. Internet media includes traditional broadcast services, such as radio stations in a multitude of content types (news, sports, music, etc . . . ). An increasing number of such stations have been establishing their own websites. These websites can be located using conventional web browsers to request specific audio files from either live or recorded audio programs. Internet radio systems make it possible to download an increasingly diverse selection of audio programs, including specific specialized programs not available from conventional broadcast media.
However the use of a visual web browser to seek, locate, and then play desired programs is currently unsuitable for use by a land line or cellular phone receiver. Thus, the majority of all media on the Internet is not available over the phone channels (land line or cellular). Such phone communication is complicated by the fact that each media type typically uses a different format. For example, two such media are MP3 and RealAudio files, each having a different specific format. Voice Gateways are commonly used to bridge the gap between the voice telephony channel and the Internet and they typically only utilize one type of audio file format that is not the format of the Internet media. Typically, in the U.S. the common format is μlaw (also commonly written as Mulaw). The problem is that the formats used by the Voice Gateways are incompatible with the format typically used by the Internet media. Thus conversion is required to couple many of the Internet media over a voice telephony connection.
A need, therefore, exists for a solution that provides a user access to the full variety of Internet media including such sources as MP3 and streaming RealAudio files to the on-the-move user via a voice based telephony connection.